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Though Neffres’ family had managed to convince her to stay for another week after she’d mentioned that she would be leaving Pago to search for Miryn, there was no stopping her once that time was up. She’d made her way around town in the final few days of the week, gathering supplies and saying her goodbyes to anyone she felt she needed to say goodbye to.
On her final visit to Blood of my Blood, Nymor tried to give Neffres a discount on healing potions, but she insisted on paying full price. After all, most of the money was her parents’, plus she knew Kyla wouldn’t have been happy if she’d accepted the discount. She didn’t want to leave while on bad terms with anyone, especially not Kyla. She bought the potions from the half-orc and a dagger from the gnome (who asked three times if she was sure she didn’t want anything bigger) before saying her goodbyes to the couple. Even if Kyla teased her husband for tearing up and quickly brushed off Neffres’ departure, Neffres knew the gnome woman was going to miss her just as much as Nymor.
Trinah, Bryn, and the rest of the duo’s friends were easy enough to meet up with and just as easy to say goodbye to. Neffres hadn’t really gotten closer to any of them in the past two years, but they’d offered her support when they could. Despite the fact that she’d turned them all down, the attempts meant a lot. Still, though, it was easy to accept that she likely wouldn’t see them for years, even if they were technically the closest thing to friends she had.
The night before her last full day in town, Neffres stopped by the pasture near her house to say goodbye to Lance, Betty-Lou, Martin, Daisy-Mae, Barry, and Becca. She considered stopping by Pepper and Sugar’s stables but ended up deciding against it. The horses would’ve assumed she was going riding and gotten antsy when she left without taking either of them out. Her favorite cows, on the other hand, were as sluggish and ready to sit and listen as ever. She finished greeting each of them, hooked her lantern around the nearest fencepost, and hopped up on the fence, looking upon the group as she spoke.
“I know y’all can’t possibly understand what’s been going on, even if I have talked more about it to you than anyone else,” she smiled at the cows and reached a hand out, petting Barry’s head, “but I appreciate that y’all look at me when I come to talk to you. You’ve been a big help, and I’m gonna miss you a whole lot…but I’ve gotta head out.” She sighed and scanned over her bovine crowd before shifting her gaze upwards to the stars. “Miryn’s still out there, and if he’s not already made it back on his own by now, then I’m sure he needs help. So I’m gonna go. And I’m gonna find him.”
She paused and sat in silence for a moment, then tightened her grip on the wood of the fence, “I know I’m the only one who still has any hope, but I know, I know I’m right! So I won’t stop searching,” she looked back to the cows with pure determination, “until I get my brother back.” She stared at the cows for a moment before the absurdity of the scene hit her and she started laughing at herself. She climbed down and grabbed her lantern, saying goodbye to each cow and giving them one last set of pets before making her way back home, occasionally chuckling to herself. She really just delivered what was likely going to be her most confident farewell to six cows.
Neffres’ final full day in Pago was spent surrounded by their family. Tybros closed Sew it Seams for the day, Isabelle took a day off for once, Vic stayed home, and Will stuck right by Neffres’ side, as he had so many times the past two years. It was a peaceful day too, mostly since their parents had officially given up on arguing that they should stay. The half-elf’s mind had been made up for weeks before they even brought the topic up for discussion, so Isabelle and Tybros never even had a chance. No one wanted to spend the last day yelling at each other, so they didn’t talk about Neffres’ departure for most of the day. Instead, they spent the day doing everything they could think of together, from Vic and Will helping Neffres cook for their parents, to Tybros finishing Neffres’ cloak as he told stories, to playing games and calling each other out for sloppily attempting to cheat.
As afternoon turned to evening and the family began to wind down, Tybros took over the kitchen with Will and Vic, baking two batches of cookies (one for the family and one just for Neffres to take with them). At the same time, Isabelle sat down with Neffres at the kitchen table to go over what they had packed and what their plan was.
“And you’re sure you’ve got everything on the list.”
“Yes mom, I checked, double-checked, and went over it with dad yesterday. I’ve got everything I need.”
“Okay, good. And you’ve got your plan of income, right?”
“Yes,” they assured. “I’ll pick up quick, low-risk jobs in towns as I pass through, and only spend when I absolutely need to.”
“And you’re confident you can get food on your own if it comes to that?”
They sighed, “Yes mom, I can hunt if I need to.”
“And what if you’re-”
“Mom, please,” they whined, reaching out and taking her hands as they met her frantic gaze, “I’ll be okay.”
Isabelle grew silent for a moment before tightly smiling and nodding, “Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll write often. Promise.”
“Good,” she sighed and gripped her child’s hands, “We’re gonna miss you so much.”
Neffres smiled sadly, “I know. I’m gonna miss y’all too.”
The morning of Neffres’ send-off was the start of a bright and beautiful day, which made it much easier for them to put on an air of optimism despite any lingering anxieties about the journey ahead. As Isabelle withheld tears from just looking at Neffres with their new cloak and fully-packed bag on their back, Tybros smiled with pride.
“You’re gonna do great out there, I know it.”
Neffres smiled, “Thanks, dad.”
“Just-” Isabelle interjected, “Just remember, we’ll be here if you need us.”
They nodded and chuckled a bit, “I could never forget that.”
“Are you gonna send us little trinkets from the towns you go to?” Will asked.
“I’ll try to. Depends on what I can find and what’ll fit in an envelope, though.”
“Think you could press some flowers for me if you see any pretty ones?” Vic asked.
They smiled, “Think I can manage that. Any more requests?” they asked, looking at their family and trying their best to take in the image and lock it down in their mind.
“Just be careful out there, Neffres. I know Ophelidan is as safe as kingdoms come, but you can never be too careful.” Isabelle offered once more as Tybros nodded in agreement, gently wrapping an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“I know, mom. I promise I’ll be extra safe.”
“You’d better have some fun out there too!” Tybros teased, “I expect to hear some engaging stories when you get back.”
They rolled their eyes, “Sure, dad. Bet I’ll be able to one-up your stories when we get back.” Neffres could see the moment every single expression shifted to show the pity their family felt for them. It stung, knowing they all were certain that Miryn was gone and that they were bound to fail, but that didn’t matter now. They were going no matter what their family thought.
Will’s eyes suddenly widened and he sprinted back into the house, calling out, “Wait, wait, wait!!” Neffres just blinked and looked to the other three, who all shrugged.
A minute later, the eleven-year-old ran back out of the house with a sheet of paper in his hands. He held it out to Neffres, smiling, “It’s not great, but I tried.”
Neffres took the paper and looked it over, immediately tearing up as they did. It was a drawing of their family, their whole family, all smiling together. No one in the house liked to talk about Miryn, even two years after his disappearance, but Will had drawn Miryn with them in the picture.
They looked back at Will and smiled before hugging him tightly, careful to not crush the paper in their hand as they softly murmured, “Thanks, Will.”
He nodded and hugged them back just as tightly. It didn’t take long for the rest of the family to join in.
After a beat, Vic spoke, “Love you, Neffres.”
Neffres laughed through faint sniffles, pulling back from the group hug, “I love you too, Vic. I love you all so much.”
Tybros smiled and fluffed their hair, “And we love you just as much.”
“Always will,” Isabelle added, wiping away tears as Will nodded fervently in agreement.
Neffres glanced down at the drawing once more, carefully folded it, and put it in their pocket before looking at their siblings with determination. “I’ll bring him back and we’ll all kick his butt in cards, I promise.” Both teens faintly laughed, but Neffres could once again see their parents’ pitiful gazes in their periphery.
Neffres sighed and smiled at their family, “I’ll send you a letter when I get to Springkeep,” then turned to leave.
They didn’t make it ten steps before Isabelle caught up and pulled them into one more hug. She held them there for a few moments before loosening her grip and taking a step back, holding their shoulders at arm's length. As she looked them over, Neffres began to turn their head to look at the other three, but Isabelle’s left hand cupped their cheek and guided their gaze back to her. “Oh, just let me get one more look at you.” Neffres smiled shakily and nodded, fighting back tears once again. Seconds later, Isabelle let her arms fall so she could take her child’s hands, “Alright, go on, before I change my mind and just come with you.”
Neffres laughed and nodded, letting go of their mother’s hands and taking a few more steps forward before looking back at their family once more. It was hard to say goodbye, but knowing that their family would finally be whole again when they returned with Miryn made it a little easier for them to turn their back and keep walking.